How to use the command git bulk (with examples)

Git is a distributed version control system that allows you to track changes to your codebase and collaborate with others. The git bulk command is part of the git-extras extension and enables you to execute operations on multiple Git repositories at once. This can be useful when you have multiple repositories that need to be managed together or if you want to perform repetitive tasks on multiple repositories simultaneously.

Use case 1: Register the current directory as a workspace

Code:

git bulk --addcurrent workspace_name

Motivation: By registering the current directory as a workspace, you can easily perform bulk operations on the repositories within this directory. This is useful when you have multiple repositories in a common parent directory and want to manage them collectively.

Explanation:

• --addcurrent: This flag tells git bulk to add the current directory as a workspace.
• workspace_name: The name you want to assign to this workspace.

Example output:

Workspace 'workspace_name' added successfully with the current directory.

Use case 2: Register a workspace for bulk operations

Code:

git bulk --addworkspace workspace_name /absolute/path/to/repository

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to register a specific repository as a workspace for performing bulk operations. It allows you to manage a repository individually or as part of a larger set of repositories.

Explanation:

• --addworkspace: This flag indicates that you want to add a workspace for bulk operations.
• workspace_name: The name you want to assign to this workspace.
• /absolute/path/to/repository: The absolute path to the repository you want to register.

Example output:

Workspace 'workspace_name' added successfully with the repository at '/absolute/path/to/repository'.

Use case 3: Clone a repository inside a specific directory then register the repository as a workspace

Code:

git bulk --addworkspace workspace_name /absolute/path/to/parent_directory --from remote_repository_location

Motivation: This use case allows you to clone a repository from a remote location and register it as a workspace. It is useful when you want to quickly set up a new workspace with a specific repository.

Explanation:

• --addworkspace: This flag indicates that you want to add a workspace for bulk operations.
• workspace_name: The name you want to assign to this workspace.
• /absolute/path/to/parent_directory: The absolute path to the parent directory where you want to clone the repository.
• --from remote_repository_location: This flag specifies the remote location of the repository you want to clone.

Example output:

Workspace 'workspace_name' added successfully with the repository cloned from 'remote_repository_location' inside '/absolute/path/to/parent_directory'.

Use case 4: Clone repositories from a newline-separated list of remote locations then register them as workspaces

Code:

git bulk --addworkspace workspace-name absolute/path/to/root/directory --from absolute/path/to/file

Motivation: This use case allows you to clone multiple repositories listed in a file and register them as separate workspaces. It is useful when you have a list of repositories that you want to manage collectively.

Explanation:

• --addworkspace: This flag indicates that you want to add a workspace for bulk operations.
• workspace-name: The name you want to assign to each workspace created from the repositories.
• absolute/path/to/root/directory: The absolute path to the root directory where you want to clone the repositories.
• --from absolute/path/to/file: This flag specifies the absolute path to the file containing newline-separated remote locations of the repositories you want to clone.

Example output:

Multiple workspaces added successfully with the repositories cloned from the file at 'absolute/path/to/file' inside '/absolute/path/to/root/directory'.

Use case 5: List all registered workspaces

Code:

git bulk --listall

Motivation: This use case allows you to view a list of all the registered workspaces. It can be useful when you want to check the existing workspaces before performing operations on them.

Explanation:

• --listall: This flag tells git bulk to list all the registered workspaces.

Example output:

Registered workspaces:
- workspace1 (/absolute/path/to/workspace1)
- workspace2 (/absolute/path/to/workspace2)
- workspace3 (/absolute/path/to/workspace3)

Use case 6: Run a Git command on the repositories of the current workspace

Code:

git bulk command command_arguments

Motivation: This use case allows you to perform a Git command on all the repositories within the current workspace. It can simplify the process of executing repetitive commands across multiple repositories.

Explanation:

• command: The Git command you want to run.
• command_arguments: The arguments and options for the Git command.

Example output:

Running 'git status' on repository 1...
On branch master
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/master'.
...

Running 'git status' on repository 2...
On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.
...

Use case 7: Remove a specific workspace

Code:

git bulk --removeworkspace workspace_name

Motivation: This use case allows you to remove a specific workspace from the registered list. It can be useful when you no longer need to manage certain repositories together.

Explanation:

• --removeworkspace: This flag indicates that you want to remove a specific workspace.
• workspace_name: The name of the workspace you want to remove.

Example output:

Workspace 'workspace_name' removed successfully.

Use case 8: Remove all workspaces

Code:

git bulk --purge

Motivation: This use case allows you to remove all the registered workspaces. It can be useful when you want to clean up and start fresh with a new set of workspaces.

Explanation:

• --purge: This flag tells git bulk to remove all workspaces.

Example output:

All workspaces removed successfully.

Conclusion:

The git bulk command provides a convenient way to perform operations on multiple Git repositories at once. By using the various flags and arguments, you can register workspaces, clone repositories, execute Git commands, and manage the registered workspaces easily. This can save you time and effort when dealing with multiple repositories or performing repetitive tasks across your codebase.